Bonjour my Divalings! It’s that time of year. Time to hit
the books and explore the story of flooring fashions for Fall 2015. While your kids are at school learning about
reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic, it’s time for you to explore the story of
fall fashion and become interior design literate. Here’s your decor primer.
As personal growth guru Vikas Malkani says, “You are the
author of your own life-story.” That’s true of your home, too. Your home is a
reflection of you. And as a fellow fashion diva, I know you want to add a few new
touches to your home to stay hip, whether you are a hipster or not. (I fear
not, if my skinny jeans and scarves don’t make me a member of the hipster club,
I still have my country club membership!)
The tale of fall home style is about a wonderland where
astonishing splashes of color have arrived from the East, the dark elegance of
the Victorian era is taking possession, trash and clash are the newest ender’s
game, and tidying creates practical magic as we purge our overabundance of
clutter to find balance. So much diversity in one little season of design gives
flight to the imagination.
While many spring trends are still hot, hot, hot -- subway
tiles, the color grey, and large format tiles – there are some new ideas to be
found. In the interior design world, according to everything from Pinterest to the latest dwell magazine, there are four new
style groupings on the rise, which are hitting the runways of New York and
Milan in women’s fashion as well. Here
is my take on the newest edition of the book on home style.
A Passage to India
This is pure 1970’s BoHo with a modern update. It is all
about exotic woods and colorful bold prints. If you’re going to go for a full Eat, Pray, Love world traveler adventure
in your home design, then you can’t dip a toe into the waters. You must jump in
with both feet and explore the colors of the spice markets of Marrakesh, the teal
waters of the Mediterranean, and the rich red of the desert rose. But this is
no electric kool aid acid test, with love bead curtains and the scent of
patchouli wafting in the air. Today’s bohemian style is elegant, tempered with
the lines of lovingly restored and hand painted antique furniture. It is Indian
Kantha throws and sheepskin accent pillows. It is tailored modern with a ghost
of the old Haight-Ashbury handmade, fresh from today’s maker movement, It is smooth
natural stone and wood surfaces paired with
“animal” textures like fur and suede. It is a fine balance of East and
West.
Dark Places and Sharp
Objects
I could call this gothic chic, with a soupcon of Steampunk,
or Industrial meets French Country. What the trend is all about is going back
to the Victorian era for inspiration and blending it with a dash of industrial
and Paris Flea Market. It steals from the Stevie Nicks line “Give to me your
leather, take from me my lace.” It is a style with the softness of the tufted
settee in the boudoir of Dicken’s Mrs. Haversham, but with a splash of Infernal Devices. Dark blue, black,
metallic trims, deep purples, and dark reds mixed with pink slipper-satin
pillows and lace details. Many new bathroom and kitchen re-dos are receiving a
touch of this style when using the very popular black and white hexagon tiles.
They were first employed in bathrooms and the subways of New York at the turn
of the last century. All things 100
years old are new again.
I, Geek
Big Bang Theory
fashions are hitting the streets, and not just on the brainiac set. Get ready
to mix those plaids and foulard prints in an array of retro cool colors like
pumpkin, pistachio and citron. This grand design concept gathers together ideas
from a brief history of time called mid-century modern. It’s all about nubby
textures and sleek wood furniture of Danish Modern descent. And don’t forget the wood, wood, wood floors and
ceilings. It is like taking a time machine back to the age of Mad Men and The Day the Earth Stood Still (the original version, not the one
with Keanu Reeves). But Klaatu, in
your spaceship remodeling, don’t forget your Iron Man movie poster and precious Lord of the Rings signed prints from the artists at Com Con.
The Way of Zen
This minimalistic esthetic means cutting back to the very
essence of a room. When I looked up minimalism, one article said a true
minimalist only owns 100 things. Guess you can count me out. I have a hundred pairs
of shoes! But I love the look. And it is
catching on. The book, The Life-Changing
Magic Of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing is on top
of the New York Times and Amazon bestseller
lists. It is about purging the glut of stuff we own and simplifying. The look
can mean indulging in the tiny home movement, or paring down each room to it’s
most basic elements. At City Tile, we
are seeing this trend in the choosing of solid colored rugs of the most basic
earth tones, stone-look tiles, and wood floors (be they real wood, wood
laminate, wood-look vinyl or wood-look tile). Beige, grey, and pale green,
yellow and blues are the key colors. It is like bringing a meditation garden into
the home.
Have fun, my diva-darlings, with these fall trends. Adding a
touch of dork-divine to a library, bringing a bit of exotic BoHo into the
bedroom, or purging a living room to minimalistic perfection need not be an odyssey
into the deathly hallows. Open the book of Fall 2015 interior design and create
your own household tales.
Photos: MorgueFiles (Jacky), digsdigs.com, decaholic.org, anthenna.com, and ovahomedesign.net
